A university lecturer flew to the Channel Islands to have sex with a 13-year-old girl he met online, a court was told yesterday.

Dr Trevor Jackson, a leading academic, groomed the girl on a social networking site.

The 46-year-old, who resigned from Newcastle University last month, travelled to Jersey five times in five months to see the girl and often met her in hotels.

He yesterday admitted having full intercourse with the schoolgirl on two occasions.

He also pleaded guilty to five charges of meeting a child following sexual grooming between September 2005 and February 2006, and five of sexual activity with a child.

Jackson, who said he had sex with the girl after she turned 14, was warned he would be jailed when he returns for sentencing.

Penny Moreland, prosecuting, told the court that as Jackson had admitted having sexual intercourse with the girl on two of the five occasions, it was felt unnecessary to establish whether intercourse took place at the other three meetings.

Jackson, a senior lecturer in biomedicine, also faces child-porn charges resulting from the seizure of his computers after his arrest in February 2006.

He first met the girl on September 22, 2005, after grooming her on a social networking site - not believed to be Facebook - in the weeks and months before.

Jackson, of Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, was yesterday ordered to sign on to the sex offenders register.

Tony Hawks, defending, said that although his client did not contest the charges he was seeking bail in order to settle his affairs before going to jail.

'He obviously knows he is going to receive a substantial term of imprisonment,' said Mr Hawks.

'He would like the opportunity to put his affairs in order before he is sent to prison in the New Year.'

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Mr Hawks said he would be seeking a psychiatric report in addition to the usual pre-sentence reports from the probation service sex offender team before Jackson is eventually sentenced on January 22.

Judge Tony Lancaster, sitting at Newcastle Crown Court, granted bail on the condition Jackson surrenders his passport within 24 hours and signs on at a police station once a week. He must also continue to live at his home address.

The judge warned Jackson: 'Although I am adjourning for reports, you have to face the inevitability you will be going to prison for these offences.

'Before you leave court today you will have to sign the sex offenders register as an interim measure.'

The case comes just days after the death of Ashleigh Hall, 17, whose body was found lying in a ditch in Sedgefield, County Durham, after she had arranged to meet someone she met on a social networking website.

The trainee nursery nurse had believed she was going to meet a 16-year-old boy she had become friends with online.

Jobless drifter Peter Chapman, 32, a convicted sex offender, has been charged with killing Ashleigh, kidnap and failing to notify police of a change of address under the rules of the sex offenders register.

Ashleigh's devastated mother, Andrea Hall, 39, has since called for security on social networking sites to be tightened in order to prevent predators from grooming children.

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Leading academic travelled to Jersey for sex with girl, 13, he groomed on the internet